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C. Everett Koop

C. Everett Koop obituary

C. Koop Obituary

First scorned, then hailed by left

With his long silver beard and white uniform, former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop became one of the most recognizable figures of the Reagan era and one of the most unexpectedly enduring.

His nomination in 1981 met a wall of opposition from women's groups and liberal politicians, who said President Ronald Reagan selected Dr. Koop, a pediatric surgeon and evangelical Christian from Philadelphia, only because of his conservative views, especially his staunch opposition to abortion.

Soon, though, he was a hero to AIDS activists, who chanted "Koop, Koop" at his appearances but booed other officials. And when he left his post in 1989, he left behind a landscape where AIDS was a top research and educational priority, smoking was considered a public health hazard and access to abortion remained largely intact.

Dr. Koop, who turned his once-obscure post into a bully pulpit for seven years during the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and who surprised both ends of the political spectrum by setting aside his conservative personal views on such issues as homosexuality and abortion to keep his focus sharply medical, died Monday at his home in Hanover, N.H. He was 96.

An assistant at Dr. Koop's Dartmouth College institute, Susan Wills, confirmed his death but did not disclose the cause.

Although the surgeon general has no real authority to set government policy, Dr. Koop described himself as "the health conscience of the country" and said modestly just before leaving his post that "my only influence was through moral suasion."

Dr. Koop shocked his conservative supporters when he endorsed condoms and sex education to stop the spread of AIDS. He carried out a crusade to end smoking in the United States his goal had been to do so by 2000. A former pipe smoker, he said cigarettes were as addictive as heroin and cocaine.

Even after leaving office, he continued to promote public health causes, from preventing childhood accidents to better training for doctors.

"I will use the written word, the spoken word and whatever I can in the electronic media to deliver health messages to this country as long as people will listen," he promised.

In 1996 he rapped Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole for suggesting that tobacco is not invariably addictive, saying Dole's comments "either exposed his abysmal lack of knowledge of nicotine addiction or his blind support of the tobacco industry."

Although Dr. Koop eventually won wide respect with his blend of old-fashioned values, pragmatism and empathy, his nomination met staunch opposition.

Foes noted that Dr. Koop traveled the country in 1979 and 1980 giving speeches that predicted a progression "from liberalized abortion to infanticide to passive euthanasia to active euthanasia, indeed to the very beginnings of the political climate that led to Auschwitz, Dachau and Belsen."

Dr. Koop, a devout Presbyterian, was confirmed after he told a Senate panel he would not use the surgeon general's post to promote his religious ideology. He kept his word.

In 1986 he issued a frank report on AIDS urging the use of condoms for "safe sex" and advocating sex education as early as third grade.

He also maneuvered around uncooperative Reagan administration officials in 1988 to send an educational AIDS pamphlet to more than 100 million U.S. households, the largest public health mailing ever.

Dr. Koop personally opposed homosexuality and believed sex should be saved for marriage. But he insisted that Americans, especially young people, must not die because they were deprived of explicit information about how HIV was transmitted.

Dr. Koop further angered conservatives by refusing to issue a report requested by the Reagan White House, saying he could not find enough scientific evidence to determine whether abortion has harmful psychological effects on women.

Dr. Koop maintained his personal opposition to abortion, however. After he left office, he told medical students it violated their Hippocratic oath. In 2009, he wrote Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urging that health care legislation include a provision to ensure doctors and medical students would not be forced to perform abortions. The letter briefly set off a security scare because it was hand delivered.

Dr. Koop served as chairman of the National Safe Kids Campaign and as an adviser to President Bill Clinton's health care reform plan.

At a congressional hearing in 2007, Dr. Koop spoke about political pressure on the surgeon general post. He said Reagan was pressed to fire him every day, but Reagan would not interfere.

Dr. Koop, worried that medicine had lost old-fashioned caring and personal relationships between doctors and patients, opened an institute at Dartmouth to teach medical students basic values and ethics.

He also was a part-owner of a short-lived venture, drkoop.com, to provide consumer health care information via the Internet.

Dr. Koop was born in New York's borough of Brooklyn, the only son of a Manhattan banker and the nephew of a doctor. He said by age 5 he knew he wanted to be a surgeon, and at age 13 he practiced his skills on neighborhood cats.

He attended Dartmouth, where he received the nickname Chick, short for "chicken Koop." It stuck for life.

Dr. Koop was by far the best-known surgeon general, and decades after he left the job he was still a recognized personality.

"I was walking down the street with him one time" about five years ago, recalled Dr. George Wohlreich, director of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a medical society with which Dr. Koop had longstanding ties. "People were yelling out, 'There goes Dr. Koop!' You'd have thought he was a rock star."

Dr. Joseph O'Donnell, an oncologist and professor at the Geisel School of Medicine, where the Koop Institute is located, said he shared Dr. Koop's desire to focus on disease prevention.

"When he decided he was going to come here, I felt like I died and went to heaven," said Donnell, the senior scholar at the institute. "He was my hero, and we worked a lot together."

Dr. Koop received his medical degree at Cornell Medical College, choosing pediatric surgery because so few surgeons practiced it.

In 1938, Dr. Koop married Elizabeth Flanagan, the daughter of a Connecticut doctor. They had four children Allen, Norman, David and Elizabeth. David, their youngest son, was killed in a mountain-climbing accident when he was 20. Dr. Koop's wife died in 2007, and he married Cora Hogue in 2010.

Dr. Koop was appointed surgeon-in-chief at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and served as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

He pioneered surgery on newborns and successfully separated three sets of conjoined twins. He won national acclaim by reconstructing the chest of a baby born with his heart outside his body.

Although raised as a Baptist, he was drawn to a Presbyterian church near the hospital, where he developed an abiding faith. He began praying at the bedside of his young patients ignoring the snickers of some of his colleagues.

"It used to be said in World War II that there were no atheists in foxholes," he wrote in 1973. "I have found there are very few atheists among the parents of dying children.

"This is a time when religious faith can see a family through trying circumstances."

Published by The Record/Herald News on Feb. 26, 2013.

Memories and Condolences
for C. Koop

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209 Entries

I would like to offer my respects to the family and friends of mr c.everett koop may he be blessed by the God of tender mercies

February 29, 2020

Valenda Newell

November 9, 2016

Fair winds and following seas sailor.

Thank you for your service to this nation.

Harry Simpson

October 14, 2014

I send condolences to the family......brothers and sisters

terry smith

September 3, 2013

Family and friends of Mr. Koop I send my sincere condolences. I hope that you can find comfort in coping with your great loss of Mr. Koop. Rest assured that you can also find comfort in our Heavenly Father who is the God of all comfort.- Isaiah 61:2.

Lynn H.

May 15, 2013

I always liked the man. He had a good views and reminded me alot of my father. Gentle spoken man.

Pam Gregory

April 5, 2013

Our family has greatly appreciated Dr. Koop's quiet caring for each patient. My mother called him from South Carolina on behalf of a dying baby whose Bible College student parents had no money. Dr Koop agreed by phone to do his best, so Mother raised the air fare. Dr. Koop provided the surgery gratis and saved that little boy's life. Mother had taken me to him years earlier after I almost died and we knew by experience of his compassion. Now, I hope my husband who also died Feb. 25th can meet this wise, loving man.

Beth York

March 30, 2013

Thank you for your outstanding service to your country. You were the best force to emerge from the Reagan Administration, a great surprise to all, and you earned the respect of so many with your reason and sensibility. I will always greatly admire you for your wisdom, your courage and your devotion to the advancement of public health over political expediency. Many can still learn from your works.

Howard Brodsky

March 25, 2013

What a loss to the world. May 2Co.1:2-4 bring comfort to this family during this time of sorrow.Barb(NO)

March 6, 2013

My condolences to the family. Psalm 68:20

Gennette Corbitt

March 5, 2013

To the Family my condolences to your loss he was a wonderful man First by training my Father then by operating on me in 1962.
He will be truly missed

Nicholas Mellish

March 5, 2013

Thank You, For Your Service To Our Great Land. Rest In Peace, Kind Sir. See You On The Other Side Some Beautiful Day.

Richard Owen

March 5, 2013

Dear Koop Family hello there my name is Faith tobin and I'm sorry for your'e loss.he'll surely be missed.luv,Faith/rory.

Faith Tobin

March 3, 2013

The world is better because of Dr. C. Everett Koop. As a republican, he had the courage to address unpopular and controversial social issues on a timely and effective manner. Little known, is what he also did to advance initiatives funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to prevent the use of spit tobacco. Thank you.

To my role model -- your spirit will always be remembered, and now, sorely missed. My sympathy to your family for their loss.

I treasure having talked one-on-one with my Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop. There has been no one who could equal or replace you in this governmental position. Thank you, sir.

Denise S. LeBloch
St. Charles Illinois

Denise LeBloch

March 3, 2013

My spouse and I always considered Mr. Koop to be a very wise man.

Steven& Rose Cardwell

March 3, 2013

Thank you for your service to our country and your faithfulness to God. Prayers for your family.

Margaret Batcheler

March 2, 2013

May your fond memories bring a smile to your face. Turn to God to bring you comfort in your distress. He is near to all those calling upon him and their cry's for help he hears.
Psalms 145: 18,19

Robin

March 2, 2013

Rest Easy. Thank you for your service and dedication within this country. May god be please d with you. May god bless your family

gail yarbough

March 1, 2013

Thanks for your service.

Brondwyn Lewis

March 1, 2013

Rest well

March 1, 2013

What a wonderful man, he kept on caring about his country. GOD bless him, and prayers to his loved ones.

Sandy Cornett-Gard

February 28, 2013

Bless you for your courage to fight AIDS in public. God bless you

Betsy

February 28, 2013

To the Koop family including my dear friend, Cora Hogue Koop: May the God of all comfort be with you at this time. I have enjoyed reading about C.Everett Koop, a real man of God. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Nancy Wunker

February 28, 2013

Thanks Everett for all you did to help AMERICA. RIP

THOMAS WALTERS JR

February 28, 2013

A truly great man lived to be 96; God bless one & all who cherish his memory; we could have very easily used 96 Dr. Koop's (literally), but we take what we can get.

Ray Allen

February 28, 2013

I had the pleasure of having lunch with Dr. Koop many years ago. Not only did he have my admiration for his great work as a physician and our U.S. Surgeon General, he also had my admiration for who he was as a person. I enjoyed meeting him and spending time that day, and also remember his quick wit and how he made me laugh. My sorrows to his family on their loss.

February 28, 2013

WE ARE SENDING OUR LOVE,PRAYERS,&CONDOLENCES TO THE KOOP FAMILY,FRIENDS,&ALL WHO KNEW DR. KOOP.

KEN&MARY O'DANIEL

February 28, 2013

Vikki Gigante

February 28, 2013

Dr.Koop became a family friend through CMDA, and many years ago Dad and "Chick" travelled together to lay groundwork for future medical missions. They were great Christian brothers here on earth and now I like to think of how this friendship continues in the City of God.
May God bless and comfort your family.

Carol Hemwall Vander Ploeg

February 28, 2013

Peace.

Glen Hausfeld

February 28, 2013

I always admired Dr. Koop. Now he belongs to the ages past, present, future. Christians believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting; those of us who never met him on Earth can meet him in Heaven. I truly appreciate Dr. Koop's statement about who he served: “I am the surgeon general of the heterosexuals and the homosexuals, of the young and the old, of the moral or the immoral, the married and the unmarried. I don't have the luxury of deciding which side I want to be on. So I can tell you how to keep yourself alive no matter what you are. That's my job.” I have a son studying to become a physician and I will tell him to keep that quote before him, and to read about the lives of compassionate and skilled physicians and surgeons such as Dr. Koop. "Well Done Good and Faithful Servant".

Marilyn Rittmeyer

February 28, 2013

So sorry for the loss of a truly great man. I haven't smoked in years due to his insistance that everyone should stop.I listened to you Dr.Koop, thank you. My thoughts and prayers are with your family and loved ones.

Mary Perry

February 28, 2013

Death will be conquered. 1 Corinthians 15:29

February 28, 2013

May our God of comfort Give you peace At this time. My condolences to the family.

February 28, 2013

May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.

Barbara & Gary Kraus

February 28, 2013

As a former patient of Dr. Koop, I say "thank you for being one of my surgeons at CHOP!" Rest in peace....everlasting memory.
Prayerfully,
Nancy

Nancy B Claflin

February 28, 2013

May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.

Craig Pettengill

February 28, 2013

I VE READ DR.KOOPS BOOK AND ENJOYED IT DO HOPE HIS FAMILY IS CARRYING ON HIS GREAT WORK LOVE A HOUSEWIFE FROM MS HELEN MCCARDLE

February 27, 2013

Dr. Koop did reconstructive surgery on my chest at CHoP in 1979 when I was 16 years of age! Several years later, while he was surgeon general, he took time out of his busy schedule and helped me get a job when I was turned down for bogus medical reasons concerning my chest! Even more importantly, he shared his faith in Jesus Christ with me the first time I ever met him! He truly was a man of his word and a wonderful human being! God Bless You Dr. Koop; my surgeon, my friend, and my brother in Christ! All my prayers to his family!

CHARLES JONES

February 27, 2013

Debra

February 27, 2013

god speed he was great.....

February 27, 2013

I am so sorry for the loss of your loved one. Please find peace and comfort in Psalms 65:2.

Jill

February 27, 2013

It was Dr. Koop's statement about the severity of nicotine addiction that helped me quit smoking in 1989. Haven't smoked since. I wonder how many others lives he changed for the better and never knew it.

Tommy Blackwell

February 27, 2013

When Dr. Koop was nominated to be Surgeon General, the American Public Health Association, my professional home, fought against him. We later gave him the APHA Award for Excellence, which he richly deserved. He acted on the findings of science, eschewed politics, and told the truth as science revealed it. He was one of the best spokespersons for public health that we have ever had.

Susan S. Addiss MPH, MUrS
Former APHA President

Susan Addiss

February 27, 2013

Dr koop you were a guiding light,for all those who did not know where to turn.rest in peace

jerry goldstein

February 27, 2013

Dr. Koop was the guest commencement speaker in my High School, Randolph Macon Academy Class of 1984. He was such a good man. "Well done good and faithful servant"! Well done, Sir.

William Thomas

February 27, 2013

HE HELPED ME QUIT CIGARETTES WITH HIS COMMON SENSE PHILOSOPHY & LOGICAL ADVICE. R.I.P DR KOOP

MOSES JOHNSON

February 27, 2013

Mr. KOOP I FEEL DID A VERY GOOD JOB OF TRYING TO EDUCATE THE WORLD ON HOW TO STAY HEALTHY. TO LIVE TO BE 96. HE KNEW SOMETHING. MAY THE GOD WHO COMFORTS ALL COMFORT YOU IN THIS TIME OF SORROW. MAY HE WAIT FOR THE TIME WHEN JESUS WILL DO AS HE DID WITH LAZARUS WHEN HE SAID TO HIM "WAKE UP" MAY MR. KOOP REST IN PEACE.

STEELE

February 27, 2013

May you rest in peace. I am truly honored to have met you.

Annlee Jones

February 27, 2013

Dr. Koop did so much for bringing awareness to the US public about some of the most important issues of our time. Rest in peace, Dr. Koop.

Marsha Meador

February 27, 2013

God bless you Dr. Koop; Rest in Peace

louise wisinski

February 27, 2013

With deepest sympathy to the Koop family during your time of grief...God is for you a refuge and strength, A help that is there to be found during difficult times...May God provide you with peace and comfort to endure the days ahead.

February 27, 2013

Celebrating a life well lived. We will cherish the memories forever.

February 27, 2013

I pray the Lord's peace and comfort is with Dr. Koop's family. I look forward to meeting him in Heaven! Thank you, Dr. Koop, for being willing to take a public stand for what is right--though not always popular.

A Fellow Believer

February 27, 2013

To the Koop family:
My condolences for the loss of C. Everett. May God's Word strengthen you during this difficult time. (Isa. 41:10,13)

T Crawford

February 27, 2013

my you rest in peace,thank you for all you did to save lives .

February 27, 2013

Please know that the God of all comfort is with your family and will help you to endure the temporary loss of your loved one. (Romans 15:5)

February 27, 2013

Thank you so very much

Kris&duke Ducret

February 27, 2013

This man touched so many lives. The world has lost a wonderful man.

randy williams

February 27, 2013

He was a great man and a leader and the only Surgeon General we ever really knew. He made a difference. My condolences to his family.

Bob O'Brien

February 27, 2013

I have lost my doctor, my friend, someone like a second father, my hero...I and 2 others in my family owe our lives to him...He came to Harrisburg, he called me in Columbus, Ohio...I last spoke with him when I called him from Tucson to Hanover...my heart is broken and I will forever miss him. America's true hero, Clara and Alta Rodriguez's hero, my hero and my mother's from CHOP. Rest with David and your beloved. I will miss you profoundly, Dr. Koop. I thank you and love you. Philip A. Hower, B.A.; M.Div..a kid from Ephrata.
Philip Hower, Phoenix

February 26, 2013

May our God and Father of peace and all tender mercies grant you a calm heart to endure this sad loss and may He supply a full measure of solace from your fondest memories and times with Mr. Everett.
Baltimore, MD

February 26, 2013

Dear Allen, Jennifer and Heather,

My thoughts and prayers are with you. Girls,your grandfather was a great and honest man and I'll never forget meeting and speaking to him when he visited and spoke at Kearsarge Middle School.Thank you for making that possible.

Dan Kocsis

Daniel Kocsis

February 26, 2013

May God bless and hold the family in his arms. Let God lead
You all by the still waters. We will not forget all that he did for us as a nation. Take your rest.

Betty McClenton-hymes

February 26, 2013

You will ALWAYS be rembrred in our heart

H Watts

February 26, 2013

My condolences to the koop family. In 1959 he performed heart surgery on me,Never got to say thanks.He will always be in my heart and prayers.
thanks Dr.Koop RIP

Michael Martino

February 26, 2013

I remember being a student nurse working in a neonatal intensive care nursery, caring for a baby everyone else had given up on. Dr. Koop walked in and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The baby turned out just fine. Corkey Addcox, Mt. Shasta, Ca.

February 26, 2013

Mike Sawyer

February 26, 2013

A great humanitarian. RIP!

Scott Litz

February 26, 2013

An Angel on earth! In 1968 he performed surgery at CHOP on my son (he is now a Cardiac Perfusionist). What a comforting, caring wonderful surgeon whose hands where in God's hands and let it be known. Prayers and comfort to his family.

Doris Boden

February 26, 2013

May he rest in peace. He was a kind man; I enjoyed conversations with him during my time at Dartmouth.

Jeremy Plante

February 26, 2013

Condolences the family. Words cannot express the pain in your hearts, but know that God is greater than anything that brings us pain and suffering. He promises that soon he will satisfy all proper desires, especially our desire to see our dear loved ones again. Psalm 145:16

ad

February 26, 2013

Hi Jennifer: I was so sorry to hear about the loss of your grandfather. What an incredible human being. My prayers and thoughts go out to you and your family. You all have a special Angel watching over you now.
Mary Kowalewski
Formerly of The Cambridge Group, Ltd
Connecticut

Mary Kowalewski

February 26, 2013

Our prayers are with the family. May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived. May God grant you peace.

The Jones Family

February 26, 2013

RIP MR. COOP.....THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE BECAUSE OF YOU.....ANGELS AMONG US....PRAYERS FOR THE FAMILY.

KATHY & BUDDY BARNETT

February 26, 2013

RIP Dr. Koop...your character, integrity, and service to this nation will never be forgotten. Thank you.
May God bring peace and comfort to your family always....

Jennifer Hight

February 26, 2013

May You 'REST IN PEACE ALWAYS"
GOD BLESS YOU!!!!

Sharon Kay

February 26, 2013

My condolences to your family during this time of grief. your love one will be missed.

February 26, 2013

Dr Koop was a great man.He saved our daughters life as a new born.I met him when he turned 40 yrs of age,he wondered where time went.Rest in peace he will be missed by many.

Nancie Filbert

February 26, 2013

Sad passing, we definitely need more MEN with the doctor's convictions. God bless the family.

Lorraine Porter

February 26, 2013

R.I.P EVERETT KOOP! HE SURE TRIED TO HELP LOTS OF PEOPLE, YOUR NOW AT PEACE WITH YOUR MAKER!

SUSIE BOHN

February 26, 2013

GOD HAS TAKEN ANOTHER AMAZING MAN WHO HAS GIVEN SO MUCH TO US ALL !!!!
SO SORRY FOR HIS FAMILY & FRIENDS WHO HAVE LOST HIM, BUT HIS MEMORY WILL LIVE ON IN US ALL. SINCERELY, BAKEL'S TEXAS

February 26, 2013

Condolences to the family for their loss. Dr. Koop was a great man, and our country is better for his courageous endeavors, his faith and his unselfish heart. He will be missed.

Katrina Shepardson

February 26, 2013

Blessed is the man who does what is good and right even in the presence of his enemies.

Dale Garrison

February 26, 2013

great man fixed my son when it was needed will miss him rest in peace you saved many and will be missed badly

bruce gregory

February 26, 2013

My condolences to the C.Everett Koop family.May God comfort you during time of grief.

Isaiah 51:12-"I-I myself am the ONE that is comforting you PEOPLE."

February 26, 2013

A GREAT HUMAN HAS LAID DOWN HIS SWORD AND SHIELD IN THE SANDS OF TIME. WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISHED AS SURGEON GENERAL REALLY AWOKE AMERICANS ON HOW TO DEAL WITH AIDS..NOW YOUR WORK IS DONE, REST GENERAL..OTHERS WILL PICK UP THE BANNER AND FIGHT FOR THE CHILDREN

Emmett Bowers

February 26, 2013

I was saddened to hear of Dr. Koop's passing. To acknowledge his making the position of the Attorney Surgeon General more noticed, I remember him all through the years. Seeing him in public service announcements and in the news. He is well regarded and respected. Thank you, Dr. Koop, for your many numerous contributions to America's health. You will be sorely missed. My most sincere condolences to the Koop family. So much can be said for what is the measure of a man. Rest in peace, dear friend.

Terri Wallis-Meeks

February 26, 2013

I was very fortunate to have served in the PHS when Dr. Koop was SG. While being a tremendous physician, he was a great SG and a great leader for the PHS. He left a big footprint to follow. My prayers and sympathy to the family.
PHS (ret)

Terrance (Terry) Duke

February 26, 2013

My husband was in the military when we were stationed in Germany. Our adopted daughter was born with serious birth defects of her esophagus. He accepted her in his care and she was sent to the Children's Hospital in Philly. She is married now with a daughter of her own. He saved her life and so many others. He was a kind man and will be missed by all who knew him and loved him.

Juanda B

February 26, 2013

A life well-served in the interest of others. May his family find comfort in God's promises, recorded in Psalms.

February 26, 2013

My deepest sympahty to family, Dr. Koop's bravery and intlligence pervailed during the AIDS pandemic and he will go down in history for his kind and christian ways in how he publicly addressed AIDs. Go in Peace.

Wooy

February 26, 2013

He was a wonderful man to pray for the sick children he helped. We need more people willing to share their faith.

Nancy Alford

February 26, 2013

Yes, a great man and using the term great appropriately. I am impressed that he could put his religion aside and to the rational and right thing when it came to fighting AIDS by advising condoms etc. We do need more like him across the board today.

Bernie O'Brien

February 26, 2013

"Causa latet vis est notissima." Your brothers welcome you to Omega Chapter, Brother Koop, and thank you for your good works.

February 26, 2013

Thank you Dr. Koop for your years of service!

Carol Campbell

February 26, 2013

RIP GREAT AMERICAN HERO

February 26, 2013

A great man. The world needs more like him. Rest in peace.

Barry Campbell

February 26, 2013

May his soul rest in peace.I admired Dr. Koop who dared to live as a man of God. I respect the fact that he did not waver from his Christian beliefs, despite criticism. My condolences to his family.May God comfort them.

Valrie Barrett

February 26, 2013

Dr Koop was a gentle giant to all the nurses who had the pleasure of meeting or working with him. I trained at Children's Hospital as a nursing student and saw him in action.

Linda Fillion

February 26, 2013

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